However, opponents of marriage equality have successfully gathered enough signatures to force a referendum on the decision – which is taking place on 6 November.

“As a business leader and mayor of New York City, I do not believe that government has any business telling one class of couples that they cannot marry,” Mr Bloomberg said in an email, reported by the Washington Post.

Mr Bloomberg also mentioned his Maryland ties and said that the state’s Governor Martin O’Malley had asked for his support on the issue.

“Maryland will always hold a special place in my heart,” Bloomberg said. “I went to college at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, and have remained active in the Hopkins community. So when Governor O’Malley asked me to support Question 6, I didn’t hesitate,” Mr Bloomberg said.

PinkNews covers religion, politics, entertainment, finance, and community news for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in the UK and worldwide. Founded to produce broadsheet quality journalism for the LGBT community, we cover politics to theology in an intelligent manner.